iPad mini

More potential bad news for Apple investors on Wednesday: shipments of the iPad mini could drop by as much as 30% in the second quarter. According to unnamed supply chain sources speaking with Digitimes, Apple’s manufacturing partners will ship 20% to 30% fewer iPad minis this quarter than they did between January and March due to “lacking demand in the market.” According to the report, customers are waiting for the second-generation iPad mini with a Retina display to launch, and are therefore not interested in the first model, which was released just this past November. Digitimes states that Q2 iPad mini shipments are expected to fall to between 10 and 12 million units from about 15 million in the March quarter.

In some potentially exciting news for people who have been waiting for the second-generation iPad mini to come out, Digitimes reports that Apple (AAPL) is cutting its iPad mini shipments in the second quarter of 2013 “to between 10-12 million units.” Digitimes‘ sources also say that Apple is currently “adjusting its reserves for the next-generation iPad mini, which is likely to be released in the third quarter.” This lines up with earlier rumors we’ve heard that the second-generation iPad mini will launch this fall and will come with the same high-resolution Retina display found in the 9.7-inch iPad and the iPhone 5.

A recent report claims Apple (AAPL) is prepping its second-generation iPad mini for launch ahead of the holidays this year. Following a report suggesting the new Retina-equipped iPad mini could debut as soon as next month, a pair of reports claim the tablet’s release is instead slated for sometime this coming fall. CNYes reported on Monday that Apple is aiming for a third-quarter launch, and DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza recently told CNET that the second iPad mini will likely launch in the third or fourth quarter this year. Apple’s next-generation iPad mini is expected to feature a new 8-inch Retina display with 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution.

One disappointment with Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini was that it didn’t come with the high-resolution Retina display that the company first used in its third-generation iPad models. While many Apple fans were hoping that the company would release a Retina-equipped iPad mini this spring, a new report from Chinese website CNYes suggests that we might have to wait until the third quarter of 2013 to see an upgrade for Apple’s smaller tablet. The good news for Apple is that the lack of a Retina display hasn’t hurt demand for the iPad mini at all since CNYes says that Apple plans to ship 55 million units this year alone. Given that Apple shipped more than 13 million iPad minis in the fourth quarter of 2012 and that smaller tablets are expected to grow even more popular throughout 2013, Apple likely feels no need to rush a second-generation iPad mini as long as the first-generation model keeps selling well.

A report from earlier this week suggested that Apple (AAPL) panel supplier AU Optronics is currently developing the new Retina display for the company’s upcoming second-generation iPad mini. Now, photos of the next-gen iPad mini case may have leaked for the first time, revealing a sleek slate that unsurprisingly bears a striking resemblance to the current model. A user on Chinese-language WeiPhone published the images on Thursday, and they show a rear shell that is similar to the first iPad mini’s casing but perhaps slightly thicker to accommodate the Retina display. No other details were provided, but additional images of the possible new iPad mini case follow below. More →

Apple (AAPL) launched the iPad mini just three months ago, but the upgraded Retina display for the firm’s upcoming sequel is already in development, according to a new report. With its unnamed industry sources back in business after the long break for Chinese New Year, Digitimes reported this week that Apple supplier AU Optronics has increased its iPad mini display yield to 1 million panels per month after overcoming some manufacturing issues. The site also says AUO has begun developing the panel for Apple’s next-generation iPad mini, which is expected to launch later this year with a Retina display. No details surrounding the next-generation iPad mini’s display were supplied in Digitimes’ report.